Waiting on Wednesday: Spellcaster by Claudia Gray

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine

This week's pick:

Spellcaster by Claudia Gray
Release Date ~ 3/5/2013
Publisher ~ HarperTeen
Add it on Goodreads

When Nadia’s family moves to Captive’s Sound, she instantly realizes there’s more to it than meets the eye. Descended from witches, Nadia senses a dark and powerful magic at work in her new town. Mateo has lived in Captive’s Sound his entire life, trying to dodge the local legend that his family is cursed - and that curse will cause him to believe he’s seeing the future … until it drives him mad. When the strange dreams Mateo has been having of rescuing a beautiful girl—Nadia—from a car accident come true, he knows he’s doomed.

Despite the forces pulling them apart, Nadia and Mateo must work together to break the chains of his family’s terrible curse, and to prevent a disaster that threatens the lives of everyone around them. Shimmering with magic and mystery, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray’s new novel is sure to draw fans of the Hex Hall and Caster Chronicles series, and fans of the hit CW TV show The Secret Circle.

    As many of you might know, I'm a big fan of witch books, and I feel like if there is one character we don't see enough in YA paranormal literature are witches.  So, naturally, whenever I hear about a witch book, especially one hailing from as big a name as Claudia Gray, I get rather excited.

   Though I am yet to read Gray's Evernight series, I simply adored her werewolves on the Titanic novel, Fateful, which was probably in my top five favorite reads of 2011. (2011, ha! Who remembers that year?), and I'm especially interested to hear her take on this story. Oh, and not that it's a big deal, but that cover is simply divine!

What book are you waiting on? Tell me or leave a link in the comments!

A New Years Resolution

   I usually don't do New Years resolutions normally. What are they worth? You forget them after a week and they're always completely unrealistic. But this year I have one that I think is critical for myself and for The Non Reluctant Reader. Here goes...

   2012 was the year that The Non Reluctant Reader really got established and became a "big" blog. My follower count has tripled since the end of last year, and I have firm publisher and author relations. During 2012, I spent so much of my time organizing blog events, coming up with new and exciting content for The Non Reluctant Reader, talking to industry professionals, and much more that I ended up with much less time to read. 

   In 2011, I read 113 books. In 2012, I read 73. That's a forty book difference. That's too much. Way too much. So, in 2013, my New Years resolution is to get back to the books. To spend more time reading and slightly less time networking. Because without books getting read, there aren't reviews to be written. And currently I consider reviews the most important part of a book blog by a long shot. Don't worry, I will still continue to come up with exciting new ideas to keep The Non Reluctant Reader fresh and entertaining, I will still do plenty of everything I did in 2012, but I vow to myself and to my readers that in 2013 I will spend more time reading then I did in 2012. I'm not sure what my book count goal is going to be, but I plan on it being at least 100.

   Anyhow, Happy New Years, and know that nothing will be changing, in fact I hope The Non Reluctant Reader continues to evolve in 2013, but do know that I will get back to the books and spend more time reading this year.

2013 Annual Survey

2012 has been a great year for me, but I want to hear about what you thought of The Non Reluctant Reader this year? So... SURVEY TIME! Please, please, please take two minutes and fill out the 100% anonymous survey below. Thanks!

New Year 2013 Giveaway Hop: Win the Angelfire Trilogy by Courtney Allison Moulton

Welcome to my stop on the Happy New Year 2013 Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Babs Book Bistro

Let's ring in the new year with some new reads, shall we? And here at The Non Reluctant Reader I'm ringing it in in style with a giveaway for...

THE ENTIRE ANGELFIRE TRILOGY BY COURTNEY ALLISON MOULTON

This consists of:

1 Hardcover of Angelfire, 1 ARC of Wings of the Wicked, 1 ARC of Shadows in the Silence

Enter after the page break. Good luck darlings!

2012YASSH 12/29 Stop

ooking for this, hunters? I have today's trivia questions from Fiction Fervor's 2012 YA Story Scavenger Hunt here for you. 2012YASSH challenges you with your knowledge of young adult books published this year, and if you enter, you might win a prize! Check out it here for more info. And be sure to read the rules!

Without further ado, today's questions come from The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa.

Easy: What is the disease that wiped out a large portion of the human and vampire population?
Medium: What's the name of Allie's best friend before she becomes a vampire?
Hard: What is Allie's weapon of choice?

Enter your answers in the form below!

The Immortal Circus Blog Tour Week Three: Review and Teaser

Welcome to the third week of The Immortal Circus four court blog tour.

The Immortal Circus

Release Date ~ 12/4/12

Format ~ Kindle Serial

Publisher ~ 47North

Source ~ Author

Murdered contortionists aren’t exactly what Vivienne signed up for when she ran away to join the circus. But like most things under the big top, nothing is what it seems. With a past she can't quite remember, Vivienne finds that running away forever might not be as appealing as it once sounded—especially not when she realizes the devilishly attractive ringleader Mab is the Faerie Queen of legend…and that she and the rest of the troupe are locked in an age-old rivalry between the otherworldly Courts.
Aided by her friends Kingston—a feisty stage magician whose magic is quickly stealing her heart—and his smart-ass assistant Melody, Vivienne finds herself racing against the clock to discover the culprit behind a series of deaths that should be impossible. However, the answer she seeks might reveal more about her own bloody past—and future—than she bargains for.
The show's just beginning.

Step right up…

Review

Though it has no heart-stopping moments as there were in the first installment of this serial, in the second installment, there continue to be interesting plot twists that pull you in.

The character development isn't that major in this installment, but as it's a five episode serial, that's to be expected. All the characters continue to be interesting and readable though.

Kahler's writing style is very in-depth and personal, and it really draws you in and puts you in the mindset of Vivienne. 

I feel like I can't say very much about this installment without spoiling it for anybody, as it is a serial, but I can say this: this episode continued to wow me! Very exciting and fast paced!

Teaser

Summer,” Kingston finally says. “They’re here.”
If this wasn’t clearly a serious situation, I’d make some witty comment about it being obvious it was summer, seeing as how it’s 80 degrees even after dark. He must notice I’m clueless because he doesn’t wait for me to say anything.
“The Summer Court. Mab’s rivals. They’re here. They’re interfering.”
“You think they tried to kill Jillian,” I say. Pieces are clicking together in my head.
“I think they’re trying to make a point. Which means we need Mab. Now. Before they make any more.”

 Giveaway

This tour comes with a giveaway for five prize packs! Details after the break!

Review: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi
Release Date ~ 1/8/2013
Format ~ ARC
Publisher ~ HarperTeen
Source ~ Publisher

Purchase It!

It's been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the ItTides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don't take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe's precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both.
Threatened by false friends, hidden enemies, and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night?
In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and dystopian elements to create a captivating love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.

   The first book in Veronica Rossi's trilogy, Under the Never Sky, was one that I enjoyed but didn't love, and though I feel the same about Through the Ever Night, slightly less so though, because Rossi's has improved and matured drastically since Under the Never Sky.

   Its been a year since I read Under the Never Sky, and though I like to think I have a good memory, it's hard to remember everything that's happened. And Rossi throws you into the fray of the novel with hardly any back story. I don't need a chapter by chapter summary of the first book, but something to refresh your memory is kind of handy.

I felt like we did witness a healthy amount of character development in Through the Ever Night, which is always vital in a trilogy. Often times characters seem to come fully formed after the first book, which makes for an awful boring second and third book. Both Aria and Perry evolved, and awesome, interesting, sub-plots began involving some of the secondary characters.

   Speaking of secondary characters, Roar, a member of the tides who grew up in the borderlands, is probably one of my favorite, if not my favorite, secondary character in today's YA scene. He's loyal, complex, and very well-written. I have yet to read the novella, Roar and Liv, a novella in which he is the main character, but after Through the Ever Night that is definitely something I would like to do!

 The settings in this trilogy are one of the parts that stand out most. From ruined wastelands to spectacularly crafted realms, there's a very diverse and broad canvas landscape in Through the Ever Night that really whisks you into Rossi's world.

   Overall, Through the Ever Night was a strong second book that built up plenty of potential for the third book's finale. A trilogy to watch.

Cover Comments:

Putting a guy on a cover can be a ballsy move, and I'm glad they did it! The way it seems as though the model is walking out of the light is very cool, and the color of the text is perfect!